Posthumous Tom Petty Box Set ‘An American Treasure’ To Be Released By Wife And Daughter
Announced yesterday on Sirius XM, An AmericanTreasure will be released on September 28. This will be the first music to be released after the iconic rockstar passed away in October 2017.
According to Rolling Stone, the posthumous box set will consist of four CDs and 60 tracks of unreleased material, alternate versions, and live tracks. The set was compiled by Petty’s wife and daughter as well as former Heartbreakers members Benmont Tench, Mike Campbell, and longtime producer Ryan Ulyate.
The career-spanning box set will be released in several editions which include a super deluxe edition that features an 84-page book that features photographs, track-by-track liner notes, and an essay written by author Nicholas Dawidoff. A less expensive two-CD version will also be able for fans as well.
In addition to the announcement, Sirius XM debuted one of the unreleased tracks from the set titled “Keep A Little Soul,” an outtake from Petty’s 1982 album Long After Dark.
The box set is a perfect showcase for one of rock’s most prolific songwriters. Die-hard fans will get lost for hours in alternate versions of songs such as “Rebels,” “Fooled Again (I Don’t Like It),” and “Here Comes My Girl.” While fans who own the 1995 box set Playback may have a majority of these tracks, it’s a great introduction to the career of a true icon.
The news of the box set comes shortly after some Petty’s signature guitars have gone up for auction, most famously of which, his signature 1965 Gibson SG. Petty toured with the guitar in 1988 on the “True Confessions” tour with Bob Dylan. The guitar is expected to fetch $300,000. Also up for auction is Petty’s famous top hat which he wore in videos for songs such as “Handle With Care” and “End of the Line” during his time with The Traveling Wilburys.
Tom Petty emerged on the music scene in 1976 with his band The Heartbreakers. The group garnered major success over the years with hits such as “American Girl,” “Free Fallin’,” “Learning To Fly,” and “Refugee” all of which are classic rock radio staples today. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
In the mid-’80s, Petty joined the supergroup called the Traveling Wilburys which featured Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Bob Dylan.
During his career in the ’80s and ’90s, Petty released albums at a rapid pace, but as he grew older in the new millennium, he began taking longer time spans in between albums. Petty’s last record, Hypnotic Eye, was released in 2014.
In 2017, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers embarked on a massive 40th-anniversary tour throughout the United States. The band’s last performance was at the Hollywood Bowl on September 25.
Tom Petty was found unconscious on the floor of his Malibu home on the morning of October 2. The musician was rushed to the hospital where he was put on life support for several hours until he was removed from life support and pronounced dead.
In January 2018, it was reported that Petty suffered cardiac arrest after an accidental overdose of pain medication to help with the pain of a fractured hip which had turned into a full break.
